Tuesday, September 16, 2008

A report from RPK's wife regarding RPK's continued imprisonment in Malaysia:

My two girls and I managed to see RPK at 11:00am this morning (16 September) at the Bukit Aman Police HQ.

He has been sleeping on a wooden platform without any pillow or bedding.

He looked drawn and drained but still alert.

I started informed him that the support he has at home and abroad is keeping us strong and that should be enough for him too to continue to be strong. I also told him that the Pakatan Raykat has the numbers to form the next government and it is just a matter of time that we would soon get him out.

He has lost weight and his sugar level has dived from 8 to 4. I urged him to eat and to drink a lot of water. In fact we brought him his favorites: a 6-pack coke, chocolates, fresh plums, shepherd’s pie and caramel custard. Raja Petra asked us to take them back. He said that those interrogating him would try to use these food items as inducements to get him to co-operate. RPK said he did not want to be beholden to them. They will use favours they grudgingly grant and use these as trade offs.

He complained that the food supplied is such that our two cats will not even eat. But I encouraged him that despite that, he has to eat. He replied that he has no appetite and that most of the time he is tired as they are interrogating him incessantly. They come to his cell (8X8 concrete box without windows) and harass him at all hours of the day and night taking hourly turns having a video camera at all times. One time they brought a prayer mat and the Koran to his cell and just said so you don’t want this and took it away recording all this.

Sometimes they just come to the cell every half hourly to peep into his cell with the loud clicking of the peep hole keeping him awake. They are interrogating him on all his articles and at this stage it is on his articles on Islam. They said he has no right to write about Islam because we (his family) don’t live like Muslims and they were not sure whether we prayed or not as how all good Muslims should.

During our visit a video camera was trained on us all the time that I was with RPK. There were always two officers in the room with us for the whole duration.

For any country that accepts Muslims in large numbers, this is the sort of government that you will have in store. A government that suppresses dissent, treats peaceful men like criminals and terrorists, and is hostile to freedom, tolerance, and human rights.

And remember, Malaysia is merely among the 'least worst' of the Muslim states.